


Consistency

by theinconceivabletruth



Series: Tao Meditations [11]
Category: Log Horizon, 忍びの国 | Shinobi no Kuni | Mumon: The Land of Stealth (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character Study, Crossover, F/M, Gaming, Tao - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23744401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theinconceivabletruth/pseuds/theinconceivabletruth
Summary: Mumon's goals have never shifted, even in the midst of catastrophe.Day 227: ConsistencyPart of a series of daily writing exercises, based on a book of daily Tao meditations.
Relationships: Okuni/Mumon
Series: Tao Meditations [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710055
Kudos: 1





	Consistency

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a series based on 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, using each day's theme as a prompt. The poem at the beginning is taken from the book, and does not belong to me.
> 
> The below snippet takes place in a crossover AU, wherein Mumon is a gold farmer and assassin-for-hire in Elder Tale. His base of operations is in Minami.

_ Without too much trouble,  _

_ One can keep to the main road.  _

_ But people love to be distracted,  _

_ And perspective is difficult.  _

Most people who knew Mumon in real life would classify him as stupid, and generally useless to society. He had no achievements. He hadn’t even gone to high school. Playing computer games for a living, as a gold farmer and assassin-for-hire, was not a career society held in high esteem. His quality of life had stagnated for many years; recently, it had actually started to decline. So very few would peg him as an astute observer of human behavior, but Mumon could tell them how vital it was to his ability to make a living at all - to read the trends of buying and selling and what people were most likely to spring for. 

This was especially true in the post-catastrophe reality. 

There was one particular trait that Mumon had always found interesting, and that was consistency. (When would players toil away under their own efforts? When would they purchase the labors of someone else as a shortcut?) People talked a lot in real life. “I want to go to TK school.” “I want to make a million dollars!” “I’d love to travel.” “I want to be skinnier.” They would sigh wistfully or make a resolution. Perhaps they might even take steps: go to cram school, look up travel brochures, join a gym. They might make changes. A few might even make their goals. But eventually, most people would stagnate, frustrated with results that came slowly or were difficult to measure. 

Computer games were different. You could almost always see the mounting experience points, the levels gained, or the coins earned. It was all very measurable. Mumon had found that famers advanced much more quickly and consistently than people did in real life (of course, it was also much easier to purchase shortcuts too, and that was where people like him came into the picture). People were less distracted from those goals, and they were more consistent in working towards them. There were the level caps, of course, but there were always other things to work towards. There were specific steps and a mapped-out path to advance along. Perhaps it was why Mumon himself was a gold farmer. 

That was slowly changing with the Catastrophe. There were so many more distractions. The aimless souls who had wandered the streets of Minami were proof enough. The whole city had to be taken over by Hwyaden before the listlessness left them. 

Mumon had not suffered even an ounce of this mental crisis. He doubted his acquaintances from real life would even recognize him. His motivation levels had skyrocketed. And why not? That faintly nebulous concept he had dedicated himself to -  _ she _ was here. 

Okuni was a real, living, breathing,  _ stubborn _ person that existed. Mumon would use every last scrap of back-stabbing ninja skill to hold on to that brilliant possibility.

**Author's Note:**

> I did a quick snip of Okuni's mindset earlier in this series: [Runaway](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23742469).
> 
> If you like Mumon and Okuni, I recommend reading their story in the manga "Shinobi no Kuni." Or you can watch the movie, it's pretty hilarious. 
> 
> Constructive criticism is welcome, but please bear in mind that these have minimal editing in terms of grammar. I did these a while ago but decided to post them now.
> 
> There are several other works in this series, from multiple fandoms.


End file.
